Described below is a method of operating a management system, in which a first management device stores information relating to objects monitored by the first management device, relating to objects monitored by a second management device, and relating to relationships between objects monitored by the first management device and objects monitored by the second management device.
In line with the principles of a management network, also referred to as TMN (Telecommunications Management Network) principles, there are a plurality of management layers for the management of a communication system—such as a mobile radio communication system—wherein each layer with the exception of the topmost and bottommost layers has a dual function, namely a manager function and an agent function. In the managing system, every level apart from the bottommost one performs a manager function for the underlying level. In the managed system, every level apart from the topmost one is assigned an agent function for the next highest layer.
For the purpose of network monitoring and control, managers start operations by sending what are known as “requests”, which are executed by agents, and receive corresponding acknowledgements, what are known as “responses”, from the agents. Elements of the telecommunication network, also referred to as resources of the telecommunication network, which form the role of an agent in a TMN hierarchy, identify relevant events, such as alarms, generate appropriate messages, e.g. what are known as “notifications”, and transmit them in the form of event reports to managers in order to allow efficient network management.
Network management may include, inter alia, fault management and/or configuration management and/or security management and/or accounting management and/or performance management. The network management is intended to provide suitable mechanisms for information distribution and management, so that a comprehensive picture of the network state is available when required and the individual resources of the telecommunication network can be monitored and configured efficiently.
The manager/agent communication is effected by what are known as management interfaces or manager/agent interfaces which, in an object-oriented environment, are characterized by a communication protocol, such as CMIP (Common Management Information Protocol) based on ITU-T X.711 or CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture), and by an object model. Object models are used to model resources of the telecommunication network, these resources being classified into object classes for the modeling.
Such interfaces exist, by way of example, between the network element management level, on the one hand, and the network element level, on the other. An example of network devices on this manager/agent interface are the operation and maintenance centers (OMCs) on the network element management level and, on the network element level, devices such as base stations in the base station system (BSS) of a GSM mobile radio network, or base stations in other communication networks, for example NodeBs in a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) mobile radio network, or base stations in a WiMAX system, or radio access points in a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) system, for example based on one of the IEEE 802.11 standards.
Management interfaces or manager/agent interfaces also exist between the network management level, on the one hand, and the network element management level, on the other. An example of network devices for this manager/agent interface are the network management centers (NMCs) on the network management level and the operation and maintenance centers (OMCs) on the network element management level, e.g. in the GSM or another mobile radio or telecommunication network.